By Virginia Winder
There's been a change of venue for my half-ironman dream next year.
It's home and hills I want - so I will be tackling the Wells New Plymouth half-ironman in February. Can't yet find the date online, but will be writing it down in ink and telling you all when it's announced.
The other day I had lunch with Irena Brooks, who's done the Mt Maunganui race (my original aim), and she said riding 90km on a straight flat course meant no respite for the leg muscles.
My favourite parts of any biking course are the hills and, believe it or not, the ups. I just love the hard work, the gutsy power of it, the digging deep and the achievement when you get to the top. It's beyond these mantras I tell you about; it just taps into the core of my being.
Now I'll be able to constantly train in reality - not a distant place and a distant dream.This is solid ground stuff. I have to bike 90km, so now I can map out the course and aim to do 30km of it, then 40km, then 50km, then 60km - you get the idea.
Also love the idea of training at Ngamotu Beach from spring through to tri-time in the place I'll be racing.
In between all that, I'll be training for the Taranaki Daily News half-marathon.
Idelle Hiestand is one of my main inspirations for doing the home-grown race because she talked to me about supporting local. She also did the race and did it well, so I know it's possible for me.
Had lunch with my sponsor and co-conspirator Bryce Barnett yesterday and he's all for the switch in venue, so am feeling buoyed about it now and can put plans into action.
Yahoo!
However, I am heading away for an event soon - the last Tri-Woman race of the season. That will be at Pt Chevalier on April 22 and I'll be heading there with my niece Rebecca and daughter Clementine, who will be a team. I'll be doing the whole thing again, but this time I'll be running, not walking!
Back to Irena - she put me on the spot about my weight, asking why I haven't updated my blog for months. That's because I've been hovering between 90kg and 91kg and I wanted to write that I'd made it to 80-something and make a big splash.
She reminded me that back when I was teering on the edge of 100kg, she said I just had to relax and let go and the weight dropped and it did.
So this is it, I'm saying out loud, well in writing, "I'm letting go!"
Let's see if that works.
Other changes - I won't be having cafe lunch dates with friends during the week.
Don't be annoyed or sad. You can still see me - at the weekends or come for a "walking meeting" with me. I'll still have time for a coffee on a Monday too, but other times I need to have shortened lunch breaks to finish work early to get to training, or meet on the move with you, which will produce energetic, creative thoughts and great conversations. Naturally, I'll make exceptions for injuries or if it's snowing.
Yes, I'm starting to sound rather militaristic. These new moves are for me because I need discipline to achieve what I aim to do, because these are big goals.
Because, as you know, I've just got 2 do it!
Showing posts with label Pt Chevalier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pt Chevalier. Show all posts
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
On to the next goals... Pt Chev here we come
By Virginia Winder
It's a new week and a fresh focus.
Oh and the things I have learnt on the way...
No 1: It's not a great idea to train or compete if you aren't feeling well. It took me four days in bed to recover from that nasty sore throat and it's still lingering. When you are pushing your body to the limit you have to be kind to yourself. Listen to those symptoms - don't be so focused on the end result that you have a hideous journey. That "no pain, no gain" saying doesn't work when the body needs time to recover.
No 2: Be kind to others - always. This has nothing to do with exercising, but everything to do with life balance and not judging others. Here's an example. You might get a check-out operator in a supermarket who's not so friendly to you, but there may be a reason - they have just been dumped by a boyfriend, found out their mother has cancer, or lost a loved one. Or a grumpy customer might be stressed about something in their life and preoccupied by their own thoughts. Think about that for a moment and then let it go. Treat those under stress with great kindness and warmth - there's always a reason they are like that.
No 3: Say thanks with grace - then change the subject. When you lose weight people constantly tell you how amazing you look. Thanks so much for the kind words! However, I'm beginning to think I must have looked hideous before. But I didn't feel ugly and that's the truth. I love the compliments, honestly I do, but I'm still just me.
No 4: Always have a goal. Once, when I interviewed Sir Edmund Hillary I asked him what he was thinking when he stood on the summit of Mt Everest. His reply was something like: "I looked around and thought what mountain am I going to climb next." OK, so my tri wasn't Mt Everest, but Sir Ed was right about always having something to aim for.
No 5: Always remember how far you have come. Pollyanna, one of my childhood role models, used to play The Glad Game by counting all the things she was glad about. Do that in your life, especially if you are on a path to health and fitness.
No 6: Have a fan club. They are your close friends who text you (thanks Spike, Callie and Susan), others who turn up and cheer for you (Cheryl and Irena) and, of course, your family members, who back you all the way and boy, do I have a heap of them - they stretch from here to Wellington and across to Perth in Australia. And then there are all my mates on FB, like Kim in Sydney, my namesake in Kansas and the dozens of people who tick the "like" box and make comments. Those uplifting comments are as good as endorphins.
So, on to the next four fitness goals.
No 1: Go to Auckland to compete in the Contact TriWoman race at Pt Chevalier in Auckland on April 22. (My daughter and niece are in the draw for a car, so we have to go!)
No 2: To be able to run properly for that race.
No 3: To be down to 80kg for that Auckland race.
No 3: To start a serious cycling regime.
No 4: Get back into full pool training.
No 5: Do gym work to strengthen me for pool work. This is recommended by my BounceBack Physiotherapist and swimmer Jacinta Harrison.
Today, I:
Went for a 25-minute walk/run in Pukekura Park
Went to the movies
Worked for 5 hours
Slept well for 6 hours
Ate two great meals (breakfast and dinner), but had some popcorn and jaffas and had spaghetti on toast for lunch with grated cheese on top (need to take care not to fall into old ways)
Drank 2 coffees (now for those people thinking I am cutting down - a big coffee day for me has always been 3, so trust me, I'm not trying to cut down my coffee)
Drank a moderate amount of water
Yesterday, I:
Ate two great meals (but missed lunch, so not good)
Worked for 6.5 hours
Went for a long brisk walk
Slept badly, for hardly any hours
Drank 2 cups of coffee
Drank some water
It's a new week and a fresh focus.
Oh and the things I have learnt on the way...
No 1: It's not a great idea to train or compete if you aren't feeling well. It took me four days in bed to recover from that nasty sore throat and it's still lingering. When you are pushing your body to the limit you have to be kind to yourself. Listen to those symptoms - don't be so focused on the end result that you have a hideous journey. That "no pain, no gain" saying doesn't work when the body needs time to recover.
No 2: Be kind to others - always. This has nothing to do with exercising, but everything to do with life balance and not judging others. Here's an example. You might get a check-out operator in a supermarket who's not so friendly to you, but there may be a reason - they have just been dumped by a boyfriend, found out their mother has cancer, or lost a loved one. Or a grumpy customer might be stressed about something in their life and preoccupied by their own thoughts. Think about that for a moment and then let it go. Treat those under stress with great kindness and warmth - there's always a reason they are like that.
No 3: Say thanks with grace - then change the subject. When you lose weight people constantly tell you how amazing you look. Thanks so much for the kind words! However, I'm beginning to think I must have looked hideous before. But I didn't feel ugly and that's the truth. I love the compliments, honestly I do, but I'm still just me.
No 4: Always have a goal. Once, when I interviewed Sir Edmund Hillary I asked him what he was thinking when he stood on the summit of Mt Everest. His reply was something like: "I looked around and thought what mountain am I going to climb next." OK, so my tri wasn't Mt Everest, but Sir Ed was right about always having something to aim for.
No 5: Always remember how far you have come. Pollyanna, one of my childhood role models, used to play The Glad Game by counting all the things she was glad about. Do that in your life, especially if you are on a path to health and fitness.
No 6: Have a fan club. They are your close friends who text you (thanks Spike, Callie and Susan), others who turn up and cheer for you (Cheryl and Irena) and, of course, your family members, who back you all the way and boy, do I have a heap of them - they stretch from here to Wellington and across to Perth in Australia. And then there are all my mates on FB, like Kim in Sydney, my namesake in Kansas and the dozens of people who tick the "like" box and make comments. Those uplifting comments are as good as endorphins.
So, on to the next four fitness goals.
No 1: Go to Auckland to compete in the Contact TriWoman race at Pt Chevalier in Auckland on April 22. (My daughter and niece are in the draw for a car, so we have to go!)
No 2: To be able to run properly for that race.
No 3: To be down to 80kg for that Auckland race.
No 3: To start a serious cycling regime.
No 4: Get back into full pool training.
No 5: Do gym work to strengthen me for pool work. This is recommended by my BounceBack Physiotherapist and swimmer Jacinta Harrison.
Today, I:
Went for a 25-minute walk/run in Pukekura Park
Went to the movies
Worked for 5 hours
Slept well for 6 hours
Ate two great meals (breakfast and dinner), but had some popcorn and jaffas and had spaghetti on toast for lunch with grated cheese on top (need to take care not to fall into old ways)
Drank 2 coffees (now for those people thinking I am cutting down - a big coffee day for me has always been 3, so trust me, I'm not trying to cut down my coffee)
Drank a moderate amount of water
Yesterday, I:
Ate two great meals (but missed lunch, so not good)
Worked for 6.5 hours
Went for a long brisk walk
Slept badly, for hardly any hours
Drank 2 cups of coffee
Drank some water
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